#strengthforlife

The healthiest people figured this out. They stopped trying to optimize and started trying to sustain.

Disclaimer: For educational purposes only; not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional before starting any program.

Regular strength training needs to be done for the rest of your life. Here are just a few of the many health benefits of doing it. Reduces abdominal fat. In a 2014 study published in the journal Obesity, Harvard researchers followed 10,500 men over the course of 12 yrs. and found that strength training was more effective at preventing increases in abdominal fat than cardiovascular exercise. Better cardiovascular health. Abdominal fat sits around vital organs, including the heart. So, preventing or reducing any excess abdominal fat from strength training can certainly improve heart health. A 2013 research study in the J. of Applied Physiology showed that young men who hit the weights on a regular basis had better-functioning HDL, or good cholesterol, compared with those who did not lift weights. Finally, a 2015 study published in the Lancet medical journal showed that grip strength (a marker for total-body muscle health) more accurately predicts death from heart disease than blood pressure does. #strengthtraining #weightlifting #resistancetraining #benchpress #strengthforlife #healthbenefits #useitorloseit (at East Sandwich, Massachusetts) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bqdy0ZPllpD/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=g4uke1rv3jbm

There will be days when just getting out of bed and out the door are a struggle. If we get overwhelmed by something BIG we can make ourselves freak out. What we need to do then is just keep it very simple. What do I need to do right now? Break it down into small steps. Example: grab gym bag, throw on sneakers and get out the door. The workout is going to be so hard and long today? Just get there and warmup and do 1 set. That’s it. Your mind is playing with you so you gotta play back. Ok, we will just do 1 set. Haha. It’s a game between you and you. Once you get your body moving and do 1 set, it’s GO time. Your body will do another. And another. Next thing you know, you’ve finished that hard, long workout by getting out the door, warming up and telling your mind (that seeks comfort and ease) that you’ll just do 1 set. Simple and often overlooked but this kind of mental game is crucial, not only in the gym and fitness but in life. You can’t always just WIL yourself to victory. Sometimes you have to play a little mind game with yourself to overcome your mental plateaus. #strengthessentials716 #strongerthanyesterday #strengthforlife #sleddragging #ropepulls #strongereveryday #beyondmotivated #mindsetiseverything ##getafterit https://www.instagram.com/p/BpTx3O5nQd-/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=sr042u9de978

Took a moment to snap a pic on my walk yesterday. A few days without being in nature and I start to notice it. Being in the woods, near bodies of water, does wonders for my mind and body and beyond. Are you walking daily? #pathlesstraveled #disciplineequalsfreedom #strengthforlife #dailywalks #naturelovers #strengthessentials716 #movementismedicine https://www.instagram.com/p/Bog81c4g_Q1/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=iw219nljiu35

Running trails is much more enjoyable than the street, but I still don’t like running. I started out over a month ago with a new running program after years of ZERO running. After week 3 my knee was killing me from a previous issue so had to put that program on hold. Back at it, started EVEN slower and am now past week 3. What’s the point? I’m getting there, calm down. 😛 Point is- we rarely get things right the first time. So many times I’ve had to fail and learn through failure. By not giving up, you win the battle, regardless of how long it takes or if you end up on a different path. There’s no clear path to success. It’s filled with potholes, breakdowns, storms and uncertainty. But only YOU can decipher what success means for you. When you look in the mirror at the end of the day, are you proud? I’m working on that every day. It’s a never-ending journey, that we all have to face. Do we take the easy road and maybe end up with regrets or do we take the hard road and end up feeling a great sense of satisfaction at the end?... #strengthandconditioning #trailrunning #lossonpark #strongerthanyesterday #strengthforlife #strengthessentials716 #cheektowaga #asics #runforrestrun https://www.instagram.com/p/BoPzv55n4xg/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1bsq7ni5k3vu

You can have the PERFECT PLAN but life has a funny way of laughing at your plan. • I wanted to do dumbbell Rows today for my entire workout but every Bench was taken. So I shifted my gear and said ok life, I got you. Let’s do Barbell Rows instead. There’s plenty of free space in the racks. • I’m on a mission. A big part of that is to overcome obstacles, embrace the suck and do hard shit I don’t wanna do. • This may not make sense to you. Honestly I don’t care. The ones who get fired up by my words and who vibe with what I’m doing every day, those are the people I wanna work with. You don’t have to be the smartest. I sucked in school. You don’t have to be the strongest. I was a weak scrawny scared kid. You don’t need any extraordinary talent. I was average at best for years. You need the fire inside. That burning desire to become the greatest you can be. To find out who you are and what you are made of. To do what you were put here on this earth to do. • To find my rebel/leader/creators and champions of your own life- that’s what my message on social media is. To filter out those who aren’t aligned with this message and bring IN the ones who feel it and want more from your life. • It doesn’t matter what you look like, where you come from, what your current situation is.. • If you want to be exceptional in whatever you do, you and me can go to battle together. • #stronghabits #strengthessentials #stronglife #disciplineisfreedom #barbellrows #embracethesuck #strengthforlife #strongereveryday #mindsetmatters #mentalstrength #getafterit #gripstrength (at Strength Essentials)